ALO Reboot: Redemption
by Fuzzyfezz
Summary: Reina Yuuki has never forgiven herself for the day she inadvertently sent her sister Asuna into the death game SAO. Now two years later she discovers that Asuna is trapped in a new game called Alfheim Online. After meeting a boy named Kazuto, she agrees to go on a journey to save her sister and find herself in the process. ALO REBOOT, OC's included.
1. Chapter 1

**_Hello and welcome to my new fanfic story of Sword Art Online. This story is a collab between me and a close friend. It is a retelling of the ALO arc from my OC's point of view. I really wanted to explore the idea of what it was like for a family member to lose someone to SAO, and since I hated the Leafa/Kirito story arc, I decided to give Asuna a sibling and write the story from her point of view. Yes I am aware that it is not canon as Asuna actually has a brother in the light novels. Well he does not exist in this story bwahaha! _**

**_Please enjoy, if there are any questions leave them in the review sections. Also, please review and let me know if you like this story and if I should continue! Please enjoy!_**

**_Fuzz_**

* * *

_November 6__th__, 2022. The date was one forever burned into Reina Yuuki's mind. For 10,000 innocent people, it was the day that they would become prisoners for two grueling years in a madman's virtual world. For Reina, it was the day that her life changed forever._

_ November 6__th__, 2022 17:30 Standard Time._

_Reina returned to her cramped dorm room after her last lecture of the day. She had only recently begun to attend Tokyo University; a substantial miracle by her parents standards. Granted, the acceptance letter had come as a surprise to Reina as well, she had never been a successful student, unlike her younger sister and she wasn't very popular amongst her peers. If Reina had to guess, it had been her family name that had granted her admission into such a prestigious school. She tried not to think of the reason that she had been admitted too often as it made her feel even less capable in her ability to succeed and instead she tried to enjoy the experience of living outside of her parents strict regulations. It was a relief to be able to live as she pleased and not be forced to withstand the constant reprimanding of her character. Reina was certain that the only thing she did miss about home was her younger sister. The two had always been close, but after Reina's departure to Tokyo, they hadn't been able to contact eachother quite as often._

_ Reina took out her cellphone and typed in a quick message; it had been awhile since she had communicated at all with her sister due to the intensity her coursework; nonetheless she felt guilty for her negligence._

_ Hey Flash, how ya doin'? How's that game I let you borrow, launched today didn't it? Call me when you get this!_

_ Reina threw her phone down on her bed and crossed the room to sit at her tiny desk. She flipped open her laptop and clicked on the internet icon as soon as the little machine had loaded. She was immediately bombarded with an emergency news broadcast that flashed across her screen._

_**ATTENTION: The following is an important message for all citizens of Japan, Please stand by for the following broadcast….**_

_Confused, and more that a bit alarmed, Reina bit her lip worriedly as the raw footage of two broadcasters appeared on her computer screen._

_ "Citizens, this is an emergency broadcast regarding the recent release of the VRMMORPG Sword Art Online."_

_A cold chill traveled down Reina's spine as she heard the name._

_ "As of 17:30 Standard Time, it has been discovered that the 10,000 players currently logged into the VRMMORPG Sword Art Online are unable to access the logout sequence. Attempts to physically remove NerveGear headsets have resulted in physical system deterioration and death within a two-hour period."_

_ Reina's knuckles were white, clenched against her desk as cold dread spread its way through her entire body._

_ "Current details as to why the players have become trapped within the game are unknown. However our sources are continuing to investigate the situation. At this time we would like to rule out foul play and instead suggest that the issue is caused by a massive system bug. Nonetheless, we would like to advise all families against removing the NerveGear. Please have your loved ones moved immediately to emergency care facilities until the situation can be resolved."_

_The broadcast continued, but Reina was no longer listening. Her mind was racing. Reina had obtained a copy of Sword Art Online before she had received her acceptance to Tokyo University. When she realized she would not have spare time to invest in the game, she had offered it to her sister, who loved games almost as much as Reina did. Had she unintentionally sent her own sister into a death trap? _

_No, calm down, She thought. Who knows if she even played it? Maybe she got too busy with school. Maybe she forgot I even lent her the game._

_A high pitched ringing made Reina jump until she realized that it was her cellphone she had left on her bed. She leapt across the room and snatched up the vibrating device, flipping it open without even bothering to check the caller ID. _

_Please let it be her. Please let it be her._

"_Reina?" The voice on the other end was not the one she was expecting. It was full of grief and shaking with fear. Reina swallowed dryly._

"_Mom?"_

"_Reina…Oh, Reina," her mother, usually so calm and reserved, was breaking down into absolute despair. "Reina…It's your sister. It's Asuna."_

* * *

**2 years later….**

Reina sat back against the metal chair watching the rain drip off of the eaves outside of the hospital window. Her green eyes listlessly followed the drops as they streaked down the panes. The Death Game, Sword Art Online, had supposedly been cleared two months ago. Game Director, and mastermind of the entire SAO epidemic, Akihiko Kayaba was nowhere to be found, although authorities still searched insensately. Approximately 6000 players had awoken and gone through intense rehabilitation programs in order to reintegrate them into society. However, for some mysterious reason, 300 of those players remained in permanent comatose condition. Asuna was one of them.

Reina's excitement upon hearing of the completion of SAO was quickly crushed the moment she had entered her sister's hospital room only to see her lying on that same hospice bed, as still as she had been for the past two years. Her fear and anger had increased exponentially, for now, there was no obvious reason for her sister's condition. The game was over, Asuna should be free. Reina feared that she would never see the life in her sister's eyes again.

Slowly, her gaze drifted to the vase of flowers on the bedside table; now drooping and rotten. She quickly cursed herself for neglecting to bring fresh ones. Finally, she allowed her attention to turn to the hospital bed that sat in the middle of the room, where a frail figure lay absolutely still. Reina pulled her chair towards the bed, ignoring the unbearable screech it made. She reached out hesitantly and gently grasped her sister's fragile hand. It was cold, as if death had already claimed her.

"It's raining today," she murmured. "I know how you love the rain."

* * *

"_Reina! It's RAIN-ing! Get it? C'mon let's go outside!"_

_Reina tried to ignore her ten-year-old sister as she burst loudly into their bedroom, interrupting the new MMO Reina had been experimenting with._

"_Is that seriously the joke you're sticking with?" Reina groaned, swiveling around in her chair to face the intruder. Asuna's hazel eyes sparkled with glee as she stuck out her bottom lip in a fake pout, "I think it's funny. Come on, let's go play outside!"_

"_No thanks," Reina said stubbornly, crossing her arms over her chest. "I don't feel like getting wet."_

"_Please!" Asuna begged, placing her tiny hands on Reina's knees and staring up at her with wide, puppy-dog eyes. Reina held her position for only a moment longer before letting out a long sigh and cracking a grin, "You're lucky I'm such a great big sister."_

"_Yes!" Asuna jumped up and down in excitement before dashing out the door. "I'll race you!"_

"_Don't forget your coat!" Reina called, stumbling to catch up with the ball of energy she had so lovingly named The Flash._

* * *

Reina blinked rapidly, willing away the memory and reaching up to carefully brush a lock of chestnut hair off of her sister's face. Her expression was so still and empty-it was terrifying.

"When are you coming back, Asuna?" She whispered as if she expected a reply. The only response was the steady beeping of the machine that monitored her sister's vital signs.

Tears quickly clouded Reina's vision in spite of her efforts to stifle them, "Shit..."

The hospital staff eventually intervened in Reina's contemplation and informed her that she would be allowed to return during tomorrows visiting hours. She nodded mutely and left the room without glancing back at the figure laying lifelessly on the bed. The gentle rain that had accompanied her hospital visit had turned into a torrent and thunder rumbled menacingly in the skies overhead. Reina briefly considered calling and asking her parents for a ride home, but dismissed the thought almost as quickly as it had come, the Yuuki couple were the last two people she wanted to see right now. She flipped up the hood of her coat, taking advantage of what little protection it offered, and gripped the handlebars of her bike that she had left parked outside. She glanced up at the angry clouds briefly, letting the water pound against her face, before trudging through the flooded street towards the direction of her parent's residence.

* * *

_"Oh my gosh Reina, I knew you were a dork but did you really bring a PortoSphere to school?"_

_Reina looked up from her NetMatch with one of the boys in her middle school class to see the condescending smirk of Aiko Konejo and her two insolent companions that trailed her like puppies, submitting to her every command; Reina had never bothered to learn their names. Aiko, on the other hand, tormented her enough to warrant acknowledgment. Aiko was rude and malicious, but also happened to be one of the most attractive and popular girls in Reina's class, at least according to the male population. Typical, Reina thought as Aiko puffed out her chest, doing her best to be sexy and intimidating simultaneously. _

_ "PortoSphere's are the newest developments in virtual technology," Reina retorted coolly, returning her gaze to the match splayed out in holograph form before her. "If you were really as cool as you think you are, you'd have one too."_

_A couple of the girls and a few of the boys surrounding the confrontation sniggered. Aiko's face turned beet red and she puffed out her cheeks in a very unladylike fashion. _

"_Of course you'd say that," Aiko sneered, regaining her composure as she spoke. "You're such a nerd you'll probably end up a fat, sweaty otaku who lives in her parent's house until she's forty!"_

_Reina dropped her PortoSphere and stood abruptly, knocking her chair to the floor. Without so much as a word, she drew back her fist and smashed it directly into Aiko's perfect, perky nose._

_Reina sat outside the principals quarters, kicking her feet back and forth as she waited for the principal to finish speaking to her father on the phone. She was screwed, that much was certain. But it had been so satisfying to see the blood cascading from Aiko's tiny nose._

"_Reina," a little voice interrupted her thoughts. "What are you doing outside the principals' office? Did you get in trouble again?"_

_She looked up to see her little sister Asuna staring at her wide eyed. The two had been enrolled in a lower-secondary school together, so that even though they were three years apart, they managed to see eachother occasionally in the halls…and outside the office that Reina frequented quite often._

"_I punched Aiko Konejo in the face for calling me a nerd," Reina grunted, swinging her feet harder. Asuna blinked in surprise before snorting with laughter and plopping down in the seat next to her sister. _

"_Sounds like she really deserved it."_

"_Yeah," Reina said, grinning ruefully. "But dad's gonna kill me." _

_Asuna leaned over and bumped her sister's shoulder with her own, "I can talk to him for you."_

"_Don't bother," Reina mumbled; it wouldn't be right for her to abuse her sister's sparkling reputation with their parents. "I probably deserve whatever punishment he's gonna give me. Can't be anything worse than being grounded for a couple of months, right?"_

_Asuna thought for a moment before placing a hand over her heart and addressing Reina with a solemn expression, "Well, then if you do get in trouble, I promise to spend all my free time being grounded with you!"_

_Reina couldn't help the smile that spread across her face. She raised her fist and bopped her sister gently on the head, "You're too loyal for your own good, kid."_

* * *

Reina sat on her old bed in the room she used to occupy with Asuna before moving to the University dorms. The moment the SAO incident occurred, Reina had spent the majority of her waking hours at her sister's bedside, completely neglecting her studies and eventually flunking the term. She could've cared less, but the rage that had engulfed her parents was enough to cause a significant amount of animosity between the three Yuuki's. In spite of their initial protests, they had allowed Reina to move back home and into her old room provided that she would begin studies again at a smaller, more local university. Reina did well enough to keep her parents from arguing with her, but her mind was always far away.

The burning guilt she had first felt on that fateful day in November two years past had never quite left. Everyday Reina felt sick in knowing that it had been her actions that had sentenced Asuna to an encapsulating mental prison. A prison that entailed certain death if great caution was not taken.

_It should have been me. I should be the one lying on that bed. She did nothing to deserve this. It should have been me._

These words had become Reina's mantra; her constant reminder that she was her sister's executioner. Absently, she rubbed her thumbs over the front of her Amusphere headgear. The new technology had been released when her father's company RECTO Progress had acquired all subsidiaries of Argus once the company that had developed SAO had gone bankrupt. The technology was relatively new, but supposedly much safer than its predecessor, NerveGear. Preparing herself for a fulldive, Reina lay back against her pillows and slipped the Amusphere over her head. Perhaps, just for a few hours, she could inhabit the skin of her avatar and forget the real world.

LinkStart!

* * *

Reina opened her eyes to the warm green glow that seemed to emanate from almost every light in Swilvane, the Sylph capital of ALfheim Online. All around her was the steady murmur of voices as various Slyph avatars wandered around, forming parties, making trades, or just generally chatting cheerfully. Reina opened her main menu and scrolled through her item slots; many of them were full, and with useless items, she might add. Recalling the previous night, when she had ventured out into the Ancient Forest, she remembered that she had massacred a large amount of Night Imps. They had provided her with a substantial EXP boost, but also filled her item slots a lot of impractical loot.

_Well, it's not completely useless_, she thought. _Might as well sell some of this stuff._

Closing her menu, she headed toward the city's largest inn where she knew she could pawn off most of her wares to the NPC innkeeper. Upon entering the inn, and ridding herself of most of her wares, she decided to sit for a moment at one of the tables and enjoy a beverage before heading back to the forest for some more level grinding. Granted food and drink in this world would not do much to satiate actual hunger or thirst, it was the calming ritual of sipping slowly at a warm cup of tea while doing some simple people watching, that Reina enjoyed.

She had only been sitting for a minute or two at her table when a loud voice pulled her attention.

"LEAFA! You're here!"

Reina looked around to see a small Sylph boy leaping up from his own table to greet another player who was just entering the inn. She was adorned in classic, green Sylph clothing that revealed a substantial amount of her bust and sported a long, blonde pontytail that swayed across her back as she walked. Reina cocked an eyebrow in disbelief as she approached the homely Sylph boy. _Way out of his league_.

"Hey Recon. Sorry I'm late," the girl, apparently named Leafa, said as she took a seat across from her companion.

"It's ok, I'm just glad you logged on at all," Recon replied, rubbing the back of his neck boyishly. "It seems like I never see you anymore, even at school."

"Yeah," Leafa murmured absently. "I've been really busy helping my brother with his rehab."

"Rehab?" Recon seemed confused, momentarily. "Oh right, your brother was part of SAO wasn't he?"

Reina almost spit out her mouthful of tea. Damning subtlety, she stood abruptly from her table and turned to face the two Sylphs. This girl apparently had a brother. A brother who had experienced Sword Art Online. And most importantly, a brother who was awake. Maybe she would have the answers Reina was looking for.

She had taken two steps towards the players when a large red message flashed across her field of vision before turning completely white.

**ERROR ERROR INCORRECT DISCONNECT ERROR**

Reina blinked rapidly, fighting vertigo as the details of her room in the real world became clearer and clearer. At first she was confused, until she saw the white, panic-stricken face of her mother floating above her holding the Amusphere. It became obvious that her mother had torn the machine straight off of her head without bothering to switch it off or wait for Reina to log out.

"Mom, what the—"

"What have I told you about playing these games Reina?!" Her mother's voice was quavering and tears pooled at the corners of her heavily mascaraed eyes.

"Mom, for crying out loud, dad's company made this thing! I've told you it's safe!" Reina reached for the headset and missed, falling out of her bed inelegantly.

"I've told you how I feel about this! I won't lose another one of my children to this Virtual Reality nonsense!"

"Have you ever thought that this might be a way for me to connect to Asuna," Reina shot back, climbing to her feet to look her mother in the eye. "For all we know right now, she's still in cyberspace. This could be the only way to find her."

"Don't be a fool Reina," he mother's voice became low. "Your sister is gone. If there was a chance she was still with us, she would've awoken a long time ago."

"Then how come she's still alive, huh?!" Reina retorted, becoming angry that her mother would give up so easily on her favored child. "How come her hearts still beating while she's lying in that bed? The NerveGear hasn't destroyed her brain, she's still out there somewhere! I can find her!"

Kyouka's face was turning red and she looked positively livid, "And what happens when you become trapped just like she is? Who do you expect to go in after you?" Without breaking her stride she turned and tossed the Amusphere viciously against the wall.

"Don't act like you'd even give a damn what would happen to me if I disappeared!" Reina shouted, allowing previous arguments she'd had with her parents to dominate the current situation. A resounding slap echoed off of the walls of the tiny room. Reina blinked in disbelief as a dull ache sprouted in her cheek.

"Don't you dare speak to me that way," Kyouka muttered her shoulders heaving as she struggled against rage and fear. "You will not use that machine in this house, do you understand?"

Reina met her mother's gaze with as much resentment and rebellion as she could muster, "I will do whatever I have to to save my sister."

With that, she shoved past Kyouka, grabbing her jacket before flying out the door and into the pounding rain.

She ran as fast as she could, letting her feet take her where they would. Her emotions threatened to boil over as she pounded the pavement, tears burning the corners of her eyes. Her cheek still stung from where her mother had struck her. The shock of it all was what affected her most. Tensions had been running high in the Yuuki household of late, but neither of her parents had ever resorted to physical punishment.

By the time she had nothing left with which to run, she found herself outside the doors of the hospital. Of course, her feet would bring her here. Unfortunately, the hospital was closed to visitors at this hour. Reina paced around the building for a while before taking shelter in the eastern alleyway underneath one of the eaves. She flipped her hood up to cover her ears and brought her knees up to her chest. Closing her eyes she finally allowed the tears to fall.

* * *

Reina was at the hospital doors the next morning, the moment they opened. The nursing staff, shocked by her disheveled appearance, had offered her towels and a warm blanket and afterwards allowed her to visit her sister's room. Reina now sat by the edge of the bed once more, staring blankly at the patterns that decorated the white bed sheets as the sun began to rise in the sky.

There was a tiny click as the door to Asuna's hospital room was pushed open. Reina tensed, rubbing her face to bring herself back to reality. Expecting one of the attending nurses to make their way to the bedside, Reina was confused when the only thing she heard from the direction of the doorway was a tiny gasp. She turned around and saw that it wasn't hospital staff she would be forced to deal with, but a young man with shaggy dark hair and even darker eyes. He looked a few years younger than her by his stature, but his face told a different story. It was as if in his mind he was far older, wiser, and more experienced than anyone she had ever met. The two stared at each other wordlessly, neither making a move to introduce or explain themselves. Finally Reina found her voice and asked, "Who are you?"

The boy's intense, onyx eyes focused on her own and he bowed his head respectfully, "Sorry. My name is Kir-Kazuto. Kazuto Kirigaya. I…I was a friend of Asuna's in Sword Art Online."

A thousand questions exploded all at once in Reina's mind. You were in SAO? How did it end? How did you survive? Why are some of the players still asleep? However the only question that manage to pass her lips was, "You knew my sister?"

Kazuto's eyes widened in surprise, "Actually, I didn't know that Asuna had a sister."

Reina frowned, "She...she didn't tell you anything about me?"

Kazuto shifted uncomfortably. Reina noticed he moved his weight around a lot, as if he still weren't used to standing on his own two feet, "A lot of the players in SAO never really talked about their families in RL. It was too painful to remember, considering it was a definite possibility we would never see them again."

"But you're here," Reina said and her tone was more venomous than she had intended. Kazuto obviously caught the inflection in her voice as his eyes shifted meekly to the floor.

"Yes."

The two fell silent again. Reina was desperate to ask how this boy knew her sister and if he had any clue as to where she was now, but before she could ask Kazuto clenched his fists and blurted, "I'm sorry!"

Reina blinked in confusion, unable to summon a response.

"It's all my fault," Kazuto continued, his shoulder beginning to shake as he battled his emotions. "I promised...I promised Asuna that I would make sure she got out of SAO safely. I failed...It's because of me."

Reina felt her breath catch in her chest. She glanced back at the still form of her sister before returning her gaze to Kazuto, "W-what do you mean?"

"She sacrificed herself for me," Kazuto continued. "It's because of me…."

Perhaps pity should've flooded through Reina at that point, but instead all she felt was an absolutely inconsolable rage and a deep agony. If what Kazuto said was true, then her sister should be dead. If she died in game the nerve gear would send electrical impulses into her brain, boiling it, killing her. But she wasn't dead yet. Why? Reina felt her rage ebb slightly as she realized that somehow, even though her sister had died in game, her body and brain continued to live. Maybe it was just her consciousness that was gone? Had this boy made it impossible for her sister to ever return to them? Would she lay in this hospital bed forever because she had died for a stranger?!

Reina stood from her chair, took two swift steps forward and grabbed Kazuto by the collar of his coat, pulling roughly on it and forcing him to look her in the eye. "Why?" she growled. "Why would she do that for you?"

Kazuto just stared at Reina, his face becoming somber and aged. Reina's jaw clenched and she shoved him back, releasing his collar. He staggered slightly and for the first time she noticed how weak and malnourished he looked. Definitely a victim of the Death Game...Not an enemy...An ally of her sister...The reason her sister was still gone.

"What is it you're doing here Kazuto Kirigaya?" Reina murmured, crossing the room to stand by her sister's bedside.

"I...I just wanted to see her. ...To see if.."

Suddenly it all made sense, Reina's eyes widened as she realized that her sister had truly meant something to this boy and the same could probably be said for Asuna as well. Reina shook her head in disbelief, she should have considered that severely strong bonds would have been formed between the players of the death game. If she had been a part of it...no...don't go there...don't think about the guilt. Stop.

She looked up at Kazuto who met her gaze with an unshakable conviction. After a moment, she nodded once, giving him permission to come closer as she stepped back and allowed him to take her place. Reina crossed the room to stand at the window folding her arms over her chest and gluing her gaze to the pedestrians passing outside. She suddenly felt incredibly awkward standing alone in her sister's room, accompanied by this stranger with whom she had had an apparently very close bond. Her curiosity began to bloom as Kazuto remained deathly silent, no words of condolence or even sorrow came from him. Finally Reina dared to peek out of the corner of her eye; she saw Kazuto sitting by the bed, both of his pale hands clasping Asuna's. His face was a mask of agony, his onyx eyes filled with grief and conviction. Reina found herself staring, entranced by the obvious dedication he felt towards her sister. Kazuto's gaze flicked momentarily to hers and Reina nearly choked, immediately turning once more to focus on the street outside, hoping to hide her embarrassed flush.

A few more minutes passed in silence and Reina managed to regain her fractured composure. Finally, she heard the chair squeak as Kazuto stood up.

"I'll be leaving now," he said formally bowing his head to her once more. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Yuuki-san."

"Reina," she found herself correcting, turning to face him. "I'm Reina."

"Reina," Kazuto repeated, nodding solemnly. He turned and began to make his way slowly towards the door.

"Will you be visiting again?" Reina found herself asking. She cursed herself as soon as the words left her mouth. She should hate this boy; he had failed to save her sister. But at the same time, Reina was just as guilty as he and he seemed to care so genuinely for Asuna, it was hard not to be touched.

"Yeah," Kazuto murmured. "Within the next few days. I'll come back."

"Good," Reina said, feeling the need to reassert her dominance. "I have some questions I need to ask you."

"Right," was all Kazuto said before opening the door and disappearing.

* * *

Kazuto awoke to the squeaking of the floorboards as someone stepped lightly across his bedroom. He sat up and peered into the dark, vaguely able to discern the shape of someone small and lithe approaching him. He tensed, until the figure stepped into the moonlight that slanted through his windows and lit upon a head of flowing, chestnut hair.

"Asuna?" Kazuto breathed, unable to believe what he was seeing. She stood there before him, garbed in the same casual clothes he had seen her wear in their cabin in SAO.

Asuna smiled at him and crossed the rest of the distance between them, coming to sit on the edge of his bed, "I told you that I'd find you again in the real world again, didn't I?"

Kazuto blinked in disbelief, everything around him seem to have an air of unreality to it. How was this happening? He had seen her lying comatose in the hospital only a few hours prior to this moment, "I thought you were still…Are you really here?"

He tentatively reached out to touch her face, afraid that once he did, she would disappear before his eyes. She leaned forward and met his hand halfway, closing her eyes in contentment as his palm cupped her cheek. For a moment, Kazuto was overwhelmed with an intense desire to wrap her in his arms and never let go. He yearned to feel her warmth against him once more. But even as his fingers played lightly against her cheek, he knew that he was dreaming. Even so, he shifted forward closing his eyes and allowing his forehead to press lightly against her own. He let his hand wander through her hair, caressing the soft locks as they slipped through his fingers. He opened his eyes to see her gazing at him lovingly, a soft smile on her lips.

"This isn't real," he murmured, letting his hand fall to his side. Asuna looked at him sadly, her hazel eyes glistening with tears. It broke his heart to see her in pain. His took one last look at her face, shining in the moonlight, before squeezing his eyes shut and curling his hands into tight fists, "I promise I'll find you."

"I promise."

Kazuto awoke with a start his heart pounding rapidly in his chest. He sat up quickly and scanned the perimeter of his room. Empty. He was alone. It had been a dream. He slowly lay back down and pressed the heels of his palms against his eyes, rubbing furiously. Earlier that day when he had first entered Asuna's hospital room, he had believed for a fraction of a moment that she had been sitting up beside the bed, awake and unharmed. But at second glance he had realized that it had indeed not been her, the hair was too short and darker in shade, the eyes were green and not hazel, the nose a bit longer and she was taller and appeared older.

"Reina," Kazuto murmured to himself. Asuna's sister. He rolled to his side and clutched his blanket to his chest. She must hate him. Hell, the whole Yuuki family would hate him if they knew what he had done. He had promised himself to Asuna, she was his responsibility. And he had failed. He squeezed his eyes shut and willed himself to calm down. He was back in the real world now and no matter what, he knew would find a way to save her.

* * *

Over the next week, Reina and Kazuto met in Asuna's hospital room. Most of the time they sat in silence. Occasionally they made light conversation and rarely, Reina was able to glean some of Kazuto's experience in SAO. From the disjointed tidbits he had told her, she came to understand that Kazuto and Asuna had been guildmates for a time in an organization called Knights of the Blood Oath and that before that they had spent time raiding dungeons together when Kazuto played solo. Whenever Reina asked for details of their adventures and relationship, Kazuto became pale and silent. It was starting to piss her off.

"Seems like a pretty stupid idea to me," Reina said suddenly after a long session of silence. "Why would you risk playing solo in a game where death is so final!? I mean just because you might have issues with people in the real world, it seems like a dumb reason to let that get in the way of your chances of survival."

Reina regretted it the moment she finished saying the words. She sounded like her middle school tormentor Aiko Konejo. Kazuto flinched at her words and focused his gaze on Asuna as he responded, "I played solo to protect the people around me."

Reina didn't understand his reasoning, but Kazuto didn't offer any further explanation and she already felt guilty for sounding so insensitive. She cleared her throat and attempted to sound a bit more courteous when she spoke again, "But you decided that my little sister was worth hanging out with."

"Yeah," Kazuto said. "She changed everything."

Reina noted the blush that appeared on his cheeks as he said this and raised an eyebrow in response. It was obvious by this point that Kazuto had some very real feelings for her sister; and yet Reina wondered if the same could be said for Asuna as well. It must be true, since Kazuto had admitted that she had sacrificed herself for him.

"Asuna has that effect on people," Reina said finally. Kazuto perked up at the contented tone in Reina's voice. There was a brief silence as she continued to gaze at her sister's prone form. Finally she mumbled, "It was my copy of SAO that Asuna used the day it all happened."

Kirito blinked in response.

"I got a copy just before I got accepted into University. I didn't think I'd have the time to play it there, so I gave it to her."

Kazuto bowed his head as he heard Reina's voice begin to quiver, "It should've been me. I should be the one lying in that bed right now. It's my fault."

She clenched her jaw tightly and closed her eyes, fighting the tears that threatened to fall.

"I should thank you then," Kazuto said quietly, surprising Reina with a small smile. "If you hadn't let her borrow the game, I never would have met Asuna. I probably would never have gotten out alive either."

Reina snorted incredulously and turned away stubbornly, there was no way she would let him get rid of her guilt that easily, "Maybe so...But she also wouldn't still be in this mess if I hadn't let her have it either."

Their conversation was put on hold as the hospital door swung open and two suited men entered the room.

"F-father?!" Reina stuttered, leaping to her feet "W-what are you doing here? I thought you were working today."

"I am," Shuzuou responded, crossing the room and replacing the flowers on the bedside table with a boquet of fresh ones. "I brought a colleague with me to see your sister today."

Shuzou straightened and tilted his head slightly, offering his hand to Kazuto, "I don't believe we've met. I'm Shuzou Yuuki, Asuna and Reina's father."

Kazuto took the older man's hand and shook it firmly, "The pleasure is all mine sir, my name is Kazuto Kirigaya. I was a friend of Asuna's during out time in SAO."

Shuzou smiled, "Thank you both for coming, I know it makes her happy." He looked down at his daughter and brushed her cheek with the tips of his fingers.

"Sir," the other man said, and Reina finaly registered the identity of the other man who had entered with her father. Her breath caught in her throat as she took in the pinched nose, the beady eyes, and the dull brown hair that always seemed to be coated in far too much gel. Sugou Nobuyuki.

"Ah, Kazuto ,I don't believe you two have ever met, this is Sugou, Director of RECTO Progress' fulldive division," explained.

"I'm Sugou Nobuyuki, it's a pleasure," Sugou smiled. Reina narrowed her eyes. She had known this man to be a perverted and immoral sneak for many years, but he was able to put up a completely fabricated facade of decency in front of her father, gaining his infallible trust.

"I'm Kazuto Kirigaya."

"The same Kazuto who played as Kirito the famed Black Swordsman?" Sugou asked, hurrying to shake his hand. "You're a hero; it's an honor!"

"I apologize Kazuto," said shooting Sugou a warning glance. "I know we shouldn't speak of the events of SAO, but Sugou is a very important colleague of mine, practically family; he can be trusted." Reina snorted loudly and Shuzuo gave her a harsh glare.

"Actually sir, speaking of family, I'd like to take this moment to make it official."

"Ah...this is sudden," Mr. Yuuki murmured. "Are you sure this is what you want...I mean you're still young."

Reina glanced back and forth between the two men worriedly. Kazuto looked just as confused as she, but neither of them knew if it would be appropriate to ask.

"Thank you for your concern sir, but my heart is set on it. Even though she's like this, she's still beautiful, I'd like to see her in that wedding dress," Sugou murmured adjusting his glasses. Reina nearly choked as she finally understood what the older men were discussing.

"What?!" she shouted, drawing a dark look from her father.

"Reina," he cautioned. "Your mother and I have discussed this. We both agree that the sooner we prepare ourselves for the inevitable, the better."

"But-"

"This is not the time or the place to argue with me, Reina," Shuzou warned. "This decision is mine and your mother's to make."

Reina gaped, unable to assemble the words she needed to respond.

He bowed to Kazuto and Sugou before saying," If you'll excuse me, I need to return to work. Good day."

With that, he swept out of the room, neglecting to spare Reina even a parting glance. She turned to look at Kazuto, whose gaze was trained on Sugou, his fists clenched tightly to his sides.

"I understand that you and Asuna were lovers in the game," Sugou said breaking the silence. "Is that true?"

Reina choked at his brazen declaration but Kazuto seemed unfazed and merely grunted in response.

"I see, well that's going to make for one complicated relationship between us." He crossed the room and picked up a lock of Asuna's hair, pressing it against his face. Reina made a grab for his hand, "What are you doing, sleazeball?!"

"Please, Reina, calm yourself. This is my future wife, am I not allowed to caress her as a husband would."

"You're twisted Sugou, I don't know how you got my father to agree to this, but I'm stopping it before it gets out of hand."

"Oh are you now?" Sugou smiled, licking his lips. "The prodigal daughter, terrible grades in school, fights, bullies. The daughter with no goals or intentions. The one who flunked out of Tokyo University. I'm sure your father agrees you absolutely knows what's best for your sister, hm?"

Reina fell silent, boiling with anger.

"Who do you think you are," Kazuto growled. "You can't do this to her."

"You're right, not legally anyway, "Sugou conceded. "But once the Yuuki family adopts me it will be as if we are married, at least on paper. This situation is very favorable, for me."

He stood and crossed the room, pushing past Kazuto and sneering at Reina.

"It would be best if you two stopped visiting, but I'll leave you to say your final goodbyes." With that he left the room, leaving Kazuto and Reina to stare at each other hopelessly as the room filled with the warm, orange glow of the sunset.


	2. Chapter 2

**Welcome to Chapter 2. This update came out much faster than most of the following ones will, but I will do my best to update as often as I can. I very much appreciate everyone who reviewed last chapter and I wanted to address a few concerns.**

**Yes Sugou will be changed into a villian I find a bit more capable, because he's pretty useless in the actual show. **

**Second, I want to address worries about OC's overshadowing the main characters. I will do my best not to let that happen. While I'm fond of my OC's, I understand and agree completely that the canon characters are what make SAO, SAO and they will play a HUGE part in this story. **

**Thanks again to: Muffin with a Mission, Worker 72, Misty One, and BobbytheGhosthog for your reviews.**

**Hope everyone enjoys this chapter! Review and Rate!**

* * *

_Gone, my one chance to shine, the friends I called mine the girl the world will never see_

_More than replaced, it's like he's erased the best of me_

_I have no choice, I've got to take back what he stole_

_Get back my one moment~_

* * *

"I'm such a weakling," Kazuto mumbled under his breath as he brushed away the hot tears that streamed down his cheeks. Sugou's words from just a few hours prior whirled around and around in his head. Hopelessness threatened to suffocate him as he sat hunched on the edge of his bed in the pitch dark of his room. What could he do to save Asuna now? He had no idea why she was still comatose and even less of an idea of how to wake her up. Sugou had won and Kazuto hadn't even had a chance to fight back. He clamped his eyes shut as memories of his time with Asuna in their small cabin in SAO flashed through his mind. A large lump rose in his throat as he realized that he would probably never see her again. The moment they had shared on the edge of the universe as Eincrad crumbled before them, he realized, had been the last time that he would feel her warmth against him. A sob escaped his throat as the despair overwhelmed him and he let his face fall into his hands, shaking his head slowly and murmuring two words over and over…

"I'm sorry."

* * *

**_Name: Gale Glory_**

**_Username: Gale_**

**_Account Status: Transferring Data_**

Darkness surrounded Gale, his head swimming sickeningly as cognizance slowly returned to him.

_Where am I?_

He began to register a myriad of voices spinning through the darkness around him; they tumbled together, like an ocean current, becoming louder and louder, making it difficult for Gale to discern their independent declarations.

"_Where am I? It hurts. I want to go home. Why am I here? Help me please. It hurts, it hurts," _The voices sang, weaving around and around each other, making Gale's head spin.

Confusion flooded through him. He had expected to wake up to the familiar comfort of his small room in the real world; or perhaps to the sterile ceiling of a hospital ward; the more likely possibility considering he would not have survived for two years in SAO if his body had been left to rot in his room. The game had been cleared right?

He had been fighting The Skull Reaper with the raiding party. And then…The Black Swordsman, he had challenged Heathcliff…No, Akihiko Kayaba. Then….then what? His memory was fuzzy after that moment, but he had clearly heard the announcement when it rang throughout Eincrad.

_**The game had been cleared. The game has been cleared.**_

_Why am I still here? Am I dead?_

Suddenly another voice entered his consciousness; much louder and clearer than the others. It was warped, making the gender indistinguishable, but it maintained a subtle lilt managing to sound vaguely threatening.

"_Rescue the queen. Mission objective. Arun. World Tree. Mission Objective. Rescue the queen." _

Gale understood the words, but the context made no sense to him. What was the World Tree? Who was the Queen? A subtle ringing began in his ears growing louder and louder until he felt as if the noise would cause his head to burst. Just as the ringing reached its pinnacle, there was a loud snap and a series of blurry images flashed in front of Gale's eyes, filling his vision and illuminating the darkness. He saw a huge, porcelain-white tree, stretching unimaginably high into the heavens. He saw a golden cage adorning one of its many branches. Inside the cage he saw a beautiful woman dressed in white. She had long, flowing hair….and her face….it seemed so familiar. The images flashed faster and faster, the words became louder and louder and then suddenly everything stopped.

Gale opened his eyes slowly, his head ached badly as if he had just bashed it against something very hard. As his vision came into focus he was realized that he was gazing up at a velvety, black sky decorated with a spray of tiny, sparkling stars. He groaned audibly as he pushed himself into a sitting position, his body felt foreign and sore as if it had never been used before. In the upper-left hand corner of his vision was a green bar with his name floating above it. He raised his hands and gestured erratically for a few minutes before managing to pull up his main menu. His character model was adorned with basic level clothing, but his stats seemed to be the same as they had been in SAO except for his sword-skill slot which had been replaced by one called "mana". He scrolled through his item menu, which was completely empty apart from one item; a sword titled _Excalibe_r. He pressed on the name, attempting to equip the weapon, when a message popped up in front of him.

_Locked item_

Gale hung his head in defeat. He was now sure of three things.

He was still trapped online. Whether or not this was Akihiko Kayaba's doing or not, he was couldn't say; but it wouldn't surprise him if Kayaba had created an Eincrad 2.0 in case the first was defeated before he was satisfied with the results.

There was a mission assigned to Gale and it had something to do with a Queen and a World Tree.

He was weaponless, defenseless, and completely lost.

He stood up and swung his head around, trying to figure out where he was. There were large, towering trees all around him and thick underbrush blanketed the ground. Small bits of light floated gently through the trees, giving the forest a mystical vibe. Gale took a deep, steadying breath, managing to take only one step forward when there was a loud rustling in the bushes behind him. He whirled too quickly around, tripping over his own booted feet and falling unceremoniously on his rear end.

Three large, brutish looking men garbed in blood red armor stepped out of the undergrowth, each of them sporting bulky and dangerous looking swords.

_Why do bad guys always come in threes_? Gale wondered, attempting to squash his growing anxiety as the men continued to approach.

"Well, well," the middle one grunted. He had a crown of spiky, red hair and face that resembled a hungry predator. "Looks like we have a rogue NPC. What are you doing out here alone on the Sylph border?"

"It won't answer you, Eugene. NPC's have scripted responses," one of his companions said. Eugene turned on him, eyes blazing, "I'm aware of that Kagemune! It's part of being a Salamander to assert your authority over any creature you meet, sentient of not."

Kagemune looked at his feet, embarrassed. Gale finally found his voice, managing to emphasize, "Um…I'm not an NPC."

"He speaks," Eugene grinned brutishly. He stepped forward and knelt in front of Gale, looming too close for comfort. "If you're not an NPC, then where's your player icon, huh?"

Gale blinked in confusion. No player icon? Eugene reached out and grabbed Gale's collar with his meaty fist, "Now shutup already and offer us your damn quest."

* * *

A loud, incessant buzzing woke Kazuto the next morning. He opened his eyes blearily and peered at the alarm clock sitting on his bedside table, it read 7:00 AM. He groaned, dropping his face back onto his pillow, trying to ignore the noise coming from his cellphone. _Who would call at such an ungodly hour?_ Finally, the ringing ceased and Kazuto curled back into a ball, sighing as warm, drowsiness overtook him once more.

The ringing began again and Kazuto sat bolt upright, throwing off his covers angrily and snatching the infernal contraption off of the table flipping it open to check the caller I.D.

_Reina Yuuki._

His annoyance faded slightly as he stared at the name. They had exchanged numbers earlier in the week, but he hadn't heard from her at all before this moment. Why would she be calling him now? And so early in the morning, too?

Clicking the answer button, he put the phone up to his ear and murmured a careful, "Hello?"

"Well, finally you answer," came the snarky response.

Kazuto's annoyance flared again, "You do realize it's 7:00 in the morning on a Saturday don't you?"

"So? Did you plan to waste the day in dreamland while Sugou gets his greasy hands on my sister? We've gotta make a plan as soon as possible."

Kazuto opened his mouth to argue, but found himself at a loss for words.

"Meet me at Shikotsu Park in thirty minutes. I'll be under the clock tower." There was a click and the call was ended.

Kazuto blinked disbelievingly at his phone for a few moments before shaking his head and smiling ruefully. _Reina Yuuki._

He shuffled out of his room a few minutes later, dressed in his usual black t-shirt and jeans. Upon entering the kitchen, he found Suguha at the dining table, sipping her morning tea quietly. When she saw him, she nearly choked on her drink, struggling to swallow before standing up and hurrying to his side.

"Kazuto? Is everything ok? What are you doing up this early? Are you feeling alright?" She pressed worriedly, reaching out and grabbing his arm as if to steady him.

Kazuto sighed before smiling lightly at her, "I'm fine. I've got a meeting with someone this morning is all."

"Oh," Sugu murmured, taking a step back. "Well…Would you like some breakfast before you go?"

Kazuto was about to decline, when he noted the concern in his sister's expression. Guilt washed over him as he realized how much time she had spent aiding him over the past few months, while receiving so little from him in return. He reached out and patted the top of her head, "Yeah, I'd like that."

She smiled, nodding in affirmation and hurried to the stove, assembling the various pots and pans she would need to create an extravagant breakfast. Kazuto sat down at the dining table and watched her for a while, considering the offer he was about to make. Finally he said, "Hey Sugu?"

"Hmn?"

"Feel like coming to the park with me this morning?"

* * *

Reina paced impatiently around the tall clock tower situated near the entrance to Shikotsu Park. Ever since the confrontation with Sugou Nobuyaki she had been enveloped by an all-encompassing anxiety. The desire to save her sister was now stronger than ever, chiefly considering that the stakes had been raised to such a critical level. She looked up at the clock face for what must have been the hundredth time in under ten minutes and hissed under her breath—7:28. Technically he wasn't late yet; a fact that for some reason made Reina even more agitated as it would have been nice to have an excuse to release some frustration on something…or someone. She had become so wrapped up in her own thoughts that she nearly jumped out of her skin when a voice appeared seemingly out of nowhere and said, "Morning Reina."

"Don't startle me like that! Seriously, I was just about to ca—oh," Reina paused as she took in the arrival of Kazuto, accompanied closely by an unfamiliar, attractive young girl with short dark hair. "Uhh…"

"Reina, this is my sister, Suguha. Sugu, this is Reina. She's Asuna's sister," Kazuto explained, placing a gentle hand on the small girl's shoulder. Sugu looked shocked by his words, gazing at Reina as if she were a celebrity.

Recovering from her initial confusion, Reina bowed her head slightly and did her best to offer a polite smile, "Pleased to meet you, Suguha."

Sugu continued to stare until Kazuto poked her in the ribs and she blushed furiously bowing from the waist, declaring, "It's an honor to meet you! My brother has told me a lot about Asuna Yuuki, but I did not know she had a sister."

"Yeah, it's not very common knowledge these days," Reina replied dryly. Sugu shifted uncomfortably, as if she wasn't sure how best to respond to the jest. Reina smiled, it was hard not to be charmed by the young girl's innocence, "Seriously, good to meet you. No need to be so formal."

Sugu blushed again and Kazuto swooped in to save her before she exploded into a bundle of nerves, "So, why did you ask me to meet you here?"

"Well," Reina began, picking uneasily at a loose thread on her jacket sleeve. "I know it's only been a few months since you escaped SAO and I'm not sure how willing you would be to try doing a fulldive again…"

She paused, quickly surveying Kazuto's face for signs of panic; but his dark eyes remained as stoic as ever. She took a deep breath before continuing, "There's was a new VRMMORPG produced after the Argus servers shut down, it's called ALfheim Online."

Sugu gave a little squeak of recognition and even Kazuto perked up visibly upon hearing the name.

"I-I have an account on ALO," Sugu murmured, shooting a sideways glance at her brother.

"Oh!" Reina exclaimed, pleasantly surprised. "Good, that will make things easier. Look, Kazuto, I believe that Asuna is still trapped somewhere in Virtual Reality space. It's the only reason that she can still be alive while remaining unconscious…"

_Or at least the only reason I chose to believe, _she added silently.

"By exploring ALO, I believe we'll be able to find some clue as to her whereabouts. Even if I'm completely wrong, we have to do _something_ to try and find her, right? This is the best chance we've got."

Kazuto's onyx eyes were fixed intently on her own, intense and unwavering; the heaviness of his gaze made Reina squirm uncomfortably.

"Here," she continued, pulling one of the extra copies of ALO she had nicked from her father's office out of her jacket pocket. "If you're willing to help me, create an account tonight and let's do what we can to save Asuna, together."

Kazuto stared at the small, square case Reina offered him, unmoving. Sugu's dark gaze flicked nervously between the two of them, her tiny hands clenched into unconscious fists.

Finally, Kazuto spoke a slow determination building in his voice, "I don't know if you're right about this…or if it's the most ridiculous idea I've ever heard…. But, I'm willing to try anything to save her." With that he reached out and took the game from Reina's hand, clutching it tightly against his chest.

A large, unabashed grin spread across Reina's face, "Then let's do it. We'll start tonight. I'll meet you in the Sylph capital at 6pm sharp, got it? You can lead him there, right Sugu?"

Sugu nodded determinedly, pursing her lips as she gripped Kazuto's arm, seeming pleased to be included.

"Well then," Reina muttered, saluting her two new companions as she turned to leave. "The game is on, see you both tonight."

* * *

"_Why are you staring at me like that?" Asuna asked nervously, glancing up from her homework to see Reina looming over her, a ridiculous grin stretching across her face._

"_Oh no reason," Reina hummed, her eyes narrowing accusingly. "Except…I may have heard something interesting floating around school lately. Something about you. Something that gives me complete sway over the chore responsibilities this weekend, lest it happen to get out."_

_Asuna's cheeks were beginning to turn pink, her eyebrows knitting together in frustration, "What are you talking about?" _

"_I heard," Reina began slowly. "That you have a huge crush on Class A's senior baseball captain, Hideki Koizumi."_

_The brilliant red flush that crept up Asuna's face was the only reply Reina needed. She placed her hand on top of her sister's head, mussing her hair playfully, "I'm in the same class you know, I could talk to him for you?"_

"_Reina!" Asuna cried, jumping up from her seat, grabbing the pillows from the edge of her bed and flinging them at her older sister in a relentless barrage. "What are you saying?!"_

_Reina raised her arms, to protect herself from the fusillade of pillows, dropping to the floor and giggling gleefully, "Come on Asuna, it could be true love!"_

_Asuna tackled her, raising one of her pillows and bringing it down over and over again upon Reina's head in a flurry of ferocious blows, "No no no! Stop teasing me!"_

"_Ok! Ok!" Reina laughed, blocking the pillow attack easily. "I'm just messing around, relax!"_

_Asuna finally sat back, her face red and her normally perfect hair standing on end, "You really aren't going to tell him are you?"_

"_No, no, I won't," Reina promised, sitting up and crossing her heart. Asuna relaxed, letting out a sigh and reaching up to smooth down her hair._

"_Unless you want me to," Reina sang, wiggling her eyebrows impertinently._

"_Reina!"_

* * *

_LinkStart!_

Reina opened her friend list the moment her avatar had fully appeared inside Swilvane. Sugu had texted Reina her contact information about an hour earlier so that she would be able to keep track of them while they made their way to the capital. She checked her friend list and saw a green dot next to Sugu's username, Leafa; the very same Leafa she had seen at the inn a week earlier, ironically.

_Hey,_ she said opening up a communication line. _Everything going well? Are you on your way?_

She waited for quite a while for a response, but realized after a while that none was forthcoming.

That's weird, she thought somewhat worriedly. Kazuto may be an unpredictable enigma, but from what she had seen of Sugu, the girl seemed straightforward and dependable. Perhaps they had come into some sort of problem on the way.

Reina decided to head to her favorite inn while she waited, perhaps having a familiar cup of tea would ease her nerves. As she approached the inn, she saw a strange figure hunched outside the main entrance. From what she could see, the character appeared to be a young man with messy golden hair and matching coat. _Flashy_, she thought disapprovingly. As she studied the boy, she realized that his character lacked a player icon, in which case he must be an NPC. But she had never seen him in Swilvane before; perhaps he was a new quest giving NPC installed in the latest patch.

She decided to speak with him and find out for herself. If he did offer a new quest, it might be a good starting point in their search for Asuna.

Stopping in front of the golden-haired NPC, she waited for a pre-scripted interaction to start, but nothing happened. Confused, she cleared her throat and said, "Greetings."

The boy finally looked up at her, blinking blearily, obviously having just been woken from a nap, "Huh? Oh, uh, hey."

Reina noted that his large, round eyes were the exact same shade of his gaudy coat; but she couldn't recall if any of the races in ALO shared that golden colour-pallete.

"Um," she continued, becoming more uneasy by the minute. "My name is Reina, of the honored Sylph race, I'm here to accept your quest."

The boy's head dropped into his hands and he groaned noisily, "For the last time….I'm NOT an NPC!"

Reina blinked, surprised by the absolute bitterness in his voice, "Oh. Um, then where's your player icon and username?"

"I don't know," he whined looking up at her piteously. "But I do have a username, it's Gale."

"Ok then Gale," she murmured, crossing her arms over her chest. "If you really are a player, tell me what race you are?"

"Race?" Gale asked. "Um, how do I tell what race I am?"

Reina rolled her eyes, beginning to get annoyed. This made no sense, he had all aspects of an AI or NPC, but spoke as if he were being controlled by a human player.

"Your wings, let me see them."

"Oh!" Gale perked up substantially. He got to his feet, brushing nonexistent dust off of his glitzy coat, and scrunched up his face in concentration. There was a brief flash of light and two large, white, feathery wings appeared on his back. Reina stumbled backwards, barely managing to stifle a cry of shock. She had never seen wings like that before. The smile that had appeared on Gale's face when his wings materialized, slowly faded as he saw Reina's reaction.

"What's wrong?"

Reina began to register murmurs of astonishment and confusion coming from the Sylphs passing by, some of them stopping to get a better look at the spectacle.

"Hide them!" Reina hissed, grabbing one of Gale's sleeves and dragging him towards the inn. "And follow me."

* * *

"Ok, let me get this straight," Reina groaned, rubbing the temples as she paced across the little room she had rented in order to interrogate Gale in private. "You 'woke up' in ALfheim approximately three weeks ago, but you don't know how you got here or why you don't have a player ID?"

Gale nodded eagerly, "Right. The only thing I remember before being here was being a part of the final battle in Sword Art Online."

Reina nearly laughed at the absurdity of it all. Everything new thing she learned about this young man was more outrageous than the last. Suddenly, she paused as his claim fully registered in her brain.

"Wait," she said, stopping her erratic pacing to stand directly in front of Gale. "So, you're saying that you were transferred directly from SAO to ALO? All character stats? All items? All equipment?"

"Well," Gale replied uneasily. "My stats are basically the same. But I don't really have any equipment or items other than what you see on me."

A tiny flicker of hope began in Reina chest.

"But you were in SAO? You remember being trapped in the Death Game?!" She pressed excitedly. Gale looked slightly unnerved by her enthusiasm, "Yeah…I joined the Knights of the Blood Oath in their raid on floor 76. Then a player named Kirito fought the guild leader, Heathcliff, who turned out to be Akihiko Kaya-"

"Yes!" Reina shouted, grabbing Gale by his collar. "That's it! That proves it! If you're here, then she's here too! Maybe the other SAO players as well! You're the answer Gale!"

"Cool!" He shouted, joining in her enthusiasm. "The answer to what?"

Before she could expain, a message popped up onto Reina's screen; it was from Leafa.

_We're here in Swilvane. Sorry for the delay, ran into some trouble. Where are you?_

_Room 12 in the Dancing Faerie Inn. Hurry, I've found us a great lead!_

Reina closed her message screen and refocused on Gale who was still staring at her questioningly.

"Ok!" Reina began, struggling to organize her thoughts. "First of all, answer me this this. Do you know how you got those wings?"

Gale's lively, golden eyes suddenly widened and his face took on a strange, empty expression, "At the top of the World Tree. The King grants endless flight. Then the Queen—"

Gale was interrupted as the door to their room swung open. Reina turned around, prepared to greet Kirito and Leafa when she was knocked off of her feet by a tiny, raven-haired girl wearing a delicate, white dress.

"Mommy!" The little girl cried, wrapping her arms around Reina's neck as they crashed unceremoniously onto the floor. Everything happened so quickly that Reina was barely able to comprehend what had just occured, but the word 'mommy' and the mortified expression on Kazuto's face snapped together in her mind and if she had not been pinned to the floor by a startlingly, powerful child, Kazuto would have received a harsh kick to the groin.

"Mommy?!" Reina bellowed, glaring maliciously at Kazuto's spiky haired avatar. "What the hell is she talking about, Kazuto?!"

Kazuto was waving his hands furiously, his face turning a violent shade of red, "No! No! It's seriously not what you think!"

"It'd better not be what I think!" Reina shot back, struggling to untangle herself from the girl's constricting grip.

"Her name's Yui," Kazuto attempted to explain, stepping forward and gently pulling her off of Reina. "She's an AI that Asuna and I rescued from the system in SAO."

"And you programmed her to call you mommy and daddy?" Reina questioned, not bothering mask the distaste in her voice.

"No, we didn't program her. She just kind of started calling us that!" Kazuto sputtered. "I mean she _is_ just a kid. So it kind of makes sense, right?"

Giving up on Kazuto, Reina looked down at Yui, who had escaped her father's grip in order to wrap her arms around Reina's legs one more. The little girl looked up at her with large, baleful eyes, a bright smile spreading her delicate pink, lips.

"Not mommy," she concurred. "But smells like mommy."

Reina cocked an eyebrow and looked to Kazuto for an explanation, mouthing the word, _smells_? Kazuto just shrugged in response.

"Er, look," Reina murmured patting Yui on the head uncomfortably. "I'm not your…mommy. But I am her sister, my name is Reina."

Yui's smile somehow managed to widen, "Reina!"

Before the situation would worsen, Leafa decided to intervene, stepping forward and pointing at Gale, "Er…Who's this?"

"OH!" All of Reina's previous enthusiasm at her discovery came rushing back in a flood of scrambled thoughts. "Kazu—er, Kirito," she corrected herself, finally taking note of his username. "This is Gale, he was a player in SAO too!"

"Kirito!" Gale shouted, leaping to his feet. "Oh man! The Black Swordsman! I saw your fight with Heathcliff. I knew all about all your accomplishments in game, you are practically my idol!"

"H-hey," Kirito laughed nervously. "I actually think I remember seeing you at some of the boss fight meetings."

"Yeah!" Gale exclaimed proudly, puffing out his chest. "I was on the frontlines quite a lot! I-Wait, are you trapped in this game too?"

"What? No," Kirito replied, his eyebrows pulling together in a frown. "You're trapped here?"

"Yeah," Gale admitted despondently. "No log out button. No items. No idea how I got here."

Kirito pondered this for a moment before looking at Reina, "You don't think—"

"That's exactly what I think," Reina interrupted, grinning. "I think Gale, Asuna, and 300 other players were somehow transferred into the ALO servers after the liberation of Eincrad. I'm not sure how or why, but wait till you see the best part. Gale, show 'em your wings."

Gale nodded, screwing his face up in concentration before a bright, white flash revealed to them a pair of beautiful, snowy angel wings. Leafa cried out in surprise and even Kirito, who lacked sufficient knowledge of the game's races, looked fascinated.

"Those are Alf wings," Leafa murmured, recovering from her shock.

"What are Alf wings?" Kirito questioned, gripping Yui's hand tenderly when she abandoned Reina's legs for his.

"There's been a rumor going around with some of the hardcore questers lately," Leafa continued. "Supposedly, there's a quest to reach the top of the World Tree in Arun. If you reach the top, you meet the Fairy King and receive a wonderful gift."

"So, Gale you got to the top of the World Tree?" Reina asked, examining the great, white wings as she spoke.

"No! I mean I don't think so….I saw it. But when I woke up I was lost in a forest just a few leagues from here."

"This doesn't make any sense," Kirito interrupted. "He says he was a player in SAO, but he has no player icons or options here. He has the reward from the World Tree quest, but no idea how he got them. How do we know he's just not a very well scripted AI?"

"If he was an AI, how would he know about everything you did in SAO?" Reina replied.

"Maybe it's a trap?" Kirito suggested.

Reina snorted and shook her head, "Not likely. Either way, player or NPC, he can get us to the World Tree, which is where I'm sure we'll find the answers we need."

Kirito still looked unconvinced but Reina was too eager to reflect on his protests.

"You think the other players are stuck in the World Tree, too?" Leafa suggested.

"That's exactly what I think," Reina responded. She let her gaze travel carefully over each of her companions, sticking her hand out into the empty space before her, "Who's ready to find out?"

"I'm in," Gale jumped forward giddily, placing his gloved hand atop of Reina's.

"Me too," Leafa murmured, offering her hand as well along with Yui who giggled and squeaked, "I'm coming too!"

They all looked at Kirito, who took a deep breath before coming forward and adding his hand to the pile, "Let's do this."

* * *

Cya next time!

_Fuzz


	3. Chapter 3

**HI everyone! First of all, I'm sorry this chapter is so short...but it's been like two weeks and you guys deserve something. I've been working a lot so it's hard to find time to write... First of all I want to address some reactions from last chapter.**

**WOAH, did not expect my Yui addition to backfire so hard, haha...In my defense I want the Yui of this story to be a lot more...childlike? and Naive. She will resemble the character of Zefie from .Hack LoT, who was also an AI but was a lot more ignorant of her own powers. I also wanted to add that bit between Yui and Reina so I could have Reina get all chaffed at the whole mommy daddy thing, which I found really weird when watching the anime. So it's more like my own commentary on the whole situation rather than a deeply thought out character choice. But sorry to all of those who didn't like it, or found it out of character. However, I REGRET NOTHING! xD**

**Anyway, enjoy this chapter. At this moment in time, Reina is supposed to be kind of a bitch, so feel free to hate her. It is my mission, by the end of this journey, to develop her as a deeply loyal and lovable character. But we're not all perfect starting out right?**

**Also, ten billion fanfiction points to the reader who catches the Game of Thrones quote in this chapter.**

**Enjoy and review!**

* * *

The plan was to reconvene as early as possible the next morning. Leafa assured them that Sundays were usually days that her mother gave the Kirigaya children free reign to pursue their own activities; and it turned out to be a convenient arrangement for Reina as well considering that her parents would be attending their customary Sunday business brunch, allowing her to log on without interference from her mother. Leafa had logged out shortly after all of this was decided, explaining that she needed to complete her homework early if she were to be able to spend all of tomorrow with them exploring ALfheim. Reina realized that she should log off for the same reason, but at the moment the concerns of the real world held no significance for her. Rather, she was filled with a voracious excitement and an eagerness to begin their quest as quickly as possible. Finally, she had some sort of lead, no matter how vague it might be, of her sister's whereabouts. After two years of constant guilt and pain, she would find Asuna, as well as the redemption she desired for sending her own sister to her doom.

She finally turned away from the window, out of which she had been staring unblinkingly at the night sky as she contemplated the events of the day, and crossed the room to sit on one of the four beds situated at even intervals against the wall. The bed in the far right, reserved for Leafa, was empty; but the other two occupied Reina's two male companions. Gale, being unable to log out, had crashed on the bed closest to the window and now lay in a jumbled heap of blanket and pillows, snoring more loudly than Reina had thought possible. Kirito lay with his back to them, breathing steadily. Reina wondered if he was truly asleep. Usually, if player did fall asleep in game, the system would automatically log them out after five minutes of immobility. Reina had not been keeping track of the time, but she was almost certain that Kirito was still conscious, pondering just as many thoughts as she. The final occupant of the room, the raven-haired girl named Yui, had curled up in a ball against Kirito's back. Her large black eyes were closed and her breathing had slowed considerably, but Reina knew that it was not possible for her to slumber. Or perhaps it was? Even with their brief, and odd, interaction it was easy to see that Yui was an exceptionally unique program; perhaps the normal behaviors exhibited by AI's didn't apply to her. As Reina watched the two of them, Kirito's form shimmered briefly before disappearing in a shower of light as the system logged him out of ALfheim.

So he was asleep, Reina mused lying back against her own bed and staring at the intricate, wooden panels above her head. Her eyelids were just beginning to droop when she heard the pitter, patter of tiny, bare feet tiptoeing across the floorboards. She turned her head and found herself staring directly into Yui's large, black eyes. The two gazed at each other for an unnervingly long time before Reina finally found her voice, managing to croak, "Er…hey there."

Yui smiled lightly at her, "Hello."

Reina waited for the little girl to say something more, but she simply continued to stand by her bedside, smiling and rocking back and forth on her dainty feet.

"Wanna sit?" Reina finally offered reluctantly; she had never been quite comfortable around children, they usually only succeeded in grating on her nerves. The invitation, however, was obviously what the girl had been waiting for. However, instead of deigning to sit next to Reina on the bed, she plopped down on the floor nearest to Reina's head and smiled gratefully up at her. Reina closed her eyes again, attempting unsuccessfully to ignore her new roommate. After a few moments, however, she snuck a peak out of the corner of her eye to see Yui still staring at her, eyes sparkling. Reina sighed, resigning herself to her fate, and rolled onto her side, propping herself up on her elbow before asking, "So, you really met my sister in Sword Art Online? You knew Asuna?" Yui nodded, meeting Reina's gaze with a long, unbroken stare, "She's my mommy."

"Right," Reina murmured uncomfortably, it was odd to imagine her little sister having a "child" of her own. "Hey. Can you sense her here? I mean you're an AI, right? Can you tell me if she's really here in this world?"

Yui's face fell and she shook her head forlornly, "I can't sense her player ID here." She paused and thought for a moment before perking up, "But Daddy thinks she's here! If he believes he can find her in this world, then I know she's here!"

"I can read your ID," Yui continued, studying Reina penetratingly. "It's similar to mommy's."

"What about Gale's?" Reina asked, jutting her chin in the direction of the snoozing Alf. "Can you tell me anything about him?"

Yui studied Gale for a moment but quickly turned back to Reina looking defeated, "He does have an ID, but I can't connect to him to any of the data profiles connected to the players of ALfheim."

Reina shifted uneasily, it was unnerving to hear such advanced vocabulary springing from an innocent child; she had to continuously remind herself that the person sitting before her was a highly, advanced AI.

"You miss her."

"Of course I miss her," Reina retorted irritably. "She's my sister."

"It's not your fault," Yui murmured abruptly, taking her aback. The little girl reached out without hesitation and touched Reina's cheek with the tips of her tiny fingers. "You don't need to feel sad anymore."

Reina just gaped at the young girl that sat before her, the AI that had somehow elucidated her deepest remorse without much more than a stare. A simple program couldn't possibly be capable of such sentiment.

"She missed you too," Yui continued pulling at Reina's heartstrings. "I could tell when I lived with her and Daddy. She always missed her other home even though we made her happy."

"What about you?" Reina murmured. "You miss her too?"

Yui nodded solemnly, even as a smile spread across her face, "But I know you and Daddy will find her! So I'm happy!"

"Yeah," Reina promised as she lay back against her pillow. "We will find her. I promise."

* * *

Asuna sat quietly at her porcelain table. She had lost track of the days a long time ago, time seemed to stand still in her golden cage that sat atop the world. She looked out at the downy, white clouds that drifted lazily across the sky; gazing past them as she ruminated on her predicament.

She remembered sitting with Kirito, bathed in the fiery orange glow of a dying sun as the castle of Eincrad crumbled beneath them. She remembered sharing her last words with him, prepared to face the eternal embrace of death as long as he would be there beside her. She had sent her silent goodbyes to Liz, Egil, her friends all over Eincrad, her mother, her father, and her sister. She was ready for the end; but it had not come. When she opened her eyes she had arrived here, a prisoner once more in another virtual world. Two tiny birds landed daintily on the table in front of her and peered at her with tiny, black eyes. Asuna reached out hesitantly to touch them, yearning for the contact of another living thing, but they lifted their wings and fled before her hand came close enough to reach them. She glanced back at her own wings; glistening, fragile white objects, beautiful to behold.

_But useless_, she thought. _What good is it to have wings if I can't fly away with them?_

She closed her eyes, shaking her head vigorously as her daily uncertainties began to overwhelm her. She wondered often if Kirito had escaped Sword Art Online as well. Had he gone back to the real world? Was he trapped like she was? Or was he no longer alive? She worried for Liz and her other friends that had been left behind in the Death Game. She thought about her family too. She wondered if her mother and father visited her, wherever her body was being kept. She wondered if they would bother keeping her alive much longer. She thought about her older sister and regretted that the last words they had spoken to each other had been almost three years ago. She felt hot tears pooling at the corners of her eyes and brushed them away furiously. She must remain strong. If she allowed herself to fall into despair now, there was no chance of ever seeing anyone she cared about again.

"Right now your face is more beautiful than anything I could even imagine, Titania," a familiar voice cooed from the gate of the cage. "The way you look like you're about to cry….I wish I could preserve it and hang it up on a wall."

"What are you waiting for? Permission?" Asuna growled as the golden gate opened and a tall, blonde haired fairy made his way into the cage. She had come to know him originally as the fairy king, Oberyn, however it hadn't taken long for him to reveal his true identity was Nobuyuki Sugou, the Director of Fulldive for her father's company. It seemed to her that it had become too tempting for him to divulge that it was his own, real world genius that had trapped her in this world, rather than to continue having her believe that he was only the heavenly and desirable fairy king. This new information did not, however, stop his attempts at sickening role play.

"Such cold words from such a pretty mouth," her captor cooed, coming to a stop next to Asuna's porcelain table. "Why do you insist on being so discourteous to me, Titania? Have I ever done anything to hurt you?"

A multitude of biting insults jumped to Asuna's tongue, but she held herself back bitterly, deciding instead to retort, "Stop calling me by that stupid name! My name is Asuna."

"Oh come now," Sugou laughed. "You're spoiling the fun, just like you did when we were young. In this world I am Oberyn the Fairy King. There's nothing a player in this world wouldn't do to gain my favor. And you have it for free, Titania, my beautiful bride."

He placed a long, white hand on the back of her chair and leaned over her, his lengthy blonde hair brushing her shoulder and sending chills down her spine, "So as my queen, and my bride, I implore you to give your heart to me. It will make things so much easier."

Asuna met his gaze with all the fire she could muster and spat, "Never. The only things you'll get from me are disgust and hatred."

"What a stubborn girl," Sugou mused seeming unfazed by her assertiveness. He moved to sit on the table in front of her, spreading his knees crudely. "But you know, I've been thinking now for a while. Romance is nice and all but it might be more fun if I just took you by force."

He reached out to caress her face and she jumped back, knocking her chair against the floor violently. He smirked and let his hand drop back to his side, "Although I must admit, it is quite delicious to watch you fight back."

She glared at him, fists clenched at her sides, "You want to see me fight? Give me a sword and I'll show you how "delicious" I can be."

Sugou laughed loudly, "Now, now my dear, calm down. It was a poor joke. I would never really force myself on you, I don't have too."

He stood up and paced to the rim of the cage, staring out at the clouds that floated by, "You'll start wanting me soon enough, I promise."

"That will never happen," Asuna shot back, desperately wishing she had her trusty rapier to thrust through Sugou's scrawny chest.

"Right now, in this world, 10,000 players are enjoying this game," Sugou continued speaking as if he hadn't heard her. "But none of them have a clue as to the true potential of the Fulldive system."

"Did you know that by expanding the mind's control regions, one can control a player's thoughts, emotions and memories?" Sugou murmured whisfully.

"You can't!" Asuna protested. "Technology like that is illegal!"

"Actually Titania, several companies around the world are researching this technique as we speak," Sugou replied without turning to acknowledge her. "The only problem is finding willing participants to experiment on."

Finally, he spun to face her, and a dark grimace twisting his face into an evil mask, "But one day, there they were, 10,000 ideal guinea pigs! Akihiko Kayaba was a fool. The world he created was an absolute nirvana and yet he allowed his victims to wander with free will. That was why his experiment failed. Mine will not suffer the same results. Would you like to know how I did it?"

_Why stop gloating now?_ Asuna thought bitingly.

"It was not difficult to adjust the routers as the players of SAO were logged out of the system and just like that I obtained 300 perfect test subjects." He began to approach her slowly, his tone growing darker and he came closer. "My technology has taken great strides in the past two months. I've had success in completely manipulating the memories and emotions of multiple test subjects."

"My father would never allow this type of research!" Asuna argued, hoping desperately that what Sugou was proposing was a just an intricately constructed lie.

"He wouldn't if he knew," Sugou chuckled reaching out and grabbing her chin, forcing her to look him in the eye. "But I'm a bit cleverer than you give me credit for, my dear, and your father trusts me. I have quite a bit of influence within the company, including my own private research facilities."

Asuna struggled to escape his grip, but his long fingers held her like iron, "What are you going to do with this twisted research of yours? Planning on world domination?"

Sugou grinned and released her, "No, I plan on selling it along with RECT Corporation. Of course the original data will remain with me, should I have need of it again. The power to control multitudes of players is a very special one, after all."

"You won't get away with this," Asuna hissed. "The moment I get back to the real world I report you to the police!"

Sugou's smile turned malicious, "And how is it exactly you think you're getting back to the real world? You are one of my guinea pigs, my dear, haven't you figured that out yet? If I wanted to I could alter every single memory in the pretty little head of yours."

He reached out as he spoke and played with the ends of her hair. Asuna could do nothing but gape as the helplessness of her situation sunk in. She could fight against him all she wanted to, but in the end he was only toying with her. With his new technology he could easily take advantage of her emotions and memories; he could make her his puppet. She swallowed nervously as she realized how pleasurable he found it when she contended with him. Sugou stepped back and turned towards the golden gate.

"Don't worry, Titania. The last thing I'd ever want to do to you is alter your memories," he cooed, giving a voice to her fears. "I've already had a large amount of success with one of my guinea pigs and I prefer to focus my attentions on them for the time being. However, I do hope that the next time we meet you will agree to be a bit more submissive."

Asuna watched closely as Sugou punched in the code to the gate, but her vision remained as pixelated and incomprehensible as usual. After he was gone, she crossed to her porcelain table, righted the chair she had knocked to the floor and collapsed into it as despair overcame her. She folded her arms upon the table and rested her head against them staring listlessly at the perfect, blue sky that existed just outside of her reach.

_Kirito….I want to go home._

* * *

Reina stood outside the inn the next morning accompanied by Gale and Yui who had taken on the form of a tiny, navigation pixie so as not to draw unnecessary attention to herself from either other players, or intrusive Game Masters. She was currently testing out her little wings by flying circles around Gale's head, making him woozy as he struggled to keep up. Reina gestured to open her player menu and checked the current time; it read 9 am. Closing the mini screen, she berated herself for not insisting that the party meet at a particular time, rather allowing them to disband with a vague promise to meet as early as possible this morning. For Reina, 9 am was too late a start.

She turned to Gale who was still distractedly playing with Yui, and moved to break up their game, "Hey. While we're waiting we might as well visit some of the shops and upgrade your equipment."

"Oh, great!" Gale agreed, coming to attention. "But uh…I don't exactly have any money."

"I'll spot you," Reina offered a bit reluctantly. "But you'll owe me."

Gale beamed in response, "Thanks!"

They wandered slowly through Swilvane's armory district, stopping at nearly every booth as Gale relentlessly analyzed and tested each weapon that drew his eye.

"So, my question is, how did you manage to survive in this game for so long without any sort of weapon or defense?" Reina prodded as Gale tested his tenth sword with a long, arcing swing.

"Well," Gale began, peering intently at the polished, one-handed blade. "I can use a bit of basic magic….It also helps that I can fly really fast." He swung the sword one more time before holding it out to Reina. "I think I'll take this one!"

After paying for the long, elegant blade, that sported golden accents to match Gale's extravagant coat, Reina decided to revive the subject that Gale had brushed over, "Speaking of flying, be sure to keep those wings of yours hidden. We don't want to draw more attention to ourselves than we need."

"Gotcha," Gale promised, offering her a thumbs up. "But do you really think we'll find the answers we need at the World Tree? Everything about me? The other SAO players? Your sister?"

"I'm not sure," Reina admitted grudgingly. "But it's the only lead we have at th—"

"Reina! Gale!"

The two fairies turned to see Leafa and Kirito approaching, the latter donned in refined, black clothing with a large two handed sword strapped to his back.

"You're really going with the ridiculous, anime style sword, huh?" Reina drawled as her two companions approached. Kirito looked a bit taken aback by her scathing remark, glancing back at his sword as if her were surprised it was there, "Well….It has excellent stats and considering there's no dual-wielding abilities in this world, my best bet is to go with a heavy hitter."

"Nevermind," she muttered, irritated that her jest had gone unappreciated. "Come on, we need to get out of Swilvane and head towards Salamander territory if we're gonna make it to the World Tree fast enough."

"Great, follow me," Leafa offered, dodging Yui as she sped through the air like a tiny, pink bullet to land on Kirito's shoulder. "We'll take off from the Tower, so that we can make the most of our flight endurance."

Leafa took the lead, directing the tiny group through the Swilvane's glistening, white streets to a large, spiraling tower that stood in its center.

"Wow!" Gale exclaimed as they reached its base. The party stopped and looked up, admiring the way that the slender tower seemed to blend into the pristine, blue sky. The others seemed quite entranced, but it didn't take long for Reina to grow tired of their awe.

"Come on," she urged. "We've wasted too much time already. We need to get going."

She had just turned towards the Tower's elevator doors when a deep, booming voice shouted, "Leafa!"

They turned to see three very tall, heavily armored Sylphs approaching them. The one in the middle wore a golden circlet upon his brow and his pointed face was twisted in anger. Reina groaned as Leafa moved to greet them, _More delays_.

"Hello, Siggurd," Leafa murmured grudgingly, obviously irritated that this man had found her.

"I received word that you're considering leaving our party. Is this true?" Siggurd challenged, taking advantage of his height to tower intimidatingly over Leafa. To her credit, she stood her ground bravely, seemingly undaunted by Siggurd's coercion.

"It is." Leafa stated boldly. "I have an important mission to do with these players." She motioned to the rest of them, who stood at varying distances behind her. Siggurd eyed them critically, "Doesn't seem like a very convincing party….Leafa, your absence from our party will be a large detriment to our strategy. You won't make the other members very happy either."

"You told me, when I joined, that it would be fine if I only played when I had the time!" Leafa shot back, taking a few steps backwards so that she stood shoulder to shoulder with Kirito. "I don't have the time anymore. We've got an important mission."

"More important than the duty you owe us?" Siggurd accused. "If you leave now, it will severely damage our reputation."

"Party members aren't items," Kirito startled everyone, by suddenly speaking up. "They're not your armor, sword, or equipment, so don't expect them to be on call for you."

"Yeah," Gale agreed, stepping in front of Leafa as if to shield her from Siggurd's glare. "Leafa is a person with her own free will. You should be grateful she was a part of your group for as long as she was. She doesn't belong to you or to us, she can do whatever she chooses."

"And I choose to go with them," Leafa added, giving the two boys defending her a small, appreciative smile.

"Why you little—" Siggurd reached for the sword at his waist. "I bet those big mouths of yours got you thrown out of your own territories. Let's see what you've got you pathetic, Spriggan, and you…whatever conniving race you are."

"Alf," Gale shouted defiantly, causing Reina to groan dejectedly. Siggurd looked momentarily confused until one of his accompanying Sylphs leaned forward and said, "Sir, that's the rumor that's been spreading from Salamander territory. Alf status is supposedly obtained when a race clears the World Tree."

The words seemed to set off an explosive reaction in Gale's brain. His eyes grew wide and empty and in a brilliant flash of light, his large, snowy wings appeared.

"_At the top of the World Tree. Rescue the Queen. The Fairy King grants eternal flight," _he droned as if in a trance. "Gale!" Reina shouted, leaping on him and slapping her hand across his mouth. But it was too late, Siggurd and his gang looked momentarily shaken; nonetheless, a slow smile began to make its way across the Slyph captain's face.

"So this is your important quest, eh Leafa?" Siggurd sheathed his sword and righted himself. "A secret master quest? Well now that I know it exists, and since you've chosen not to join us, I'll be sure you have plenty of competition."

He motioned for his teammates to follow him as he turned to exit the dome, "We'll see who'll be the first to reach those Alf wings."

Then he was gone and they realized that an audience had gathered around the base of the tower, whispering to each other and pointing towards Gale.

"Get rid of your wings, dammnit!" Reina demanded, grabbing him by his collar and dragging him through the elevator doors, roughly. The others followed quickly, Yui just barely managing squeeze through the doors as they slid closed.

* * *

"What the hell was that?!" Reina exploded, the moment they were all alone inside the lift. She had Gale by the golden collar of his cloak, gripping it so tightly that his face was beginning to lose color.

"I'm sorry!" Gale grabbed her wrists, attempting to pull her off. "I don't know what happened! I didn't mean to tell him, it just came out!"

"Stop!" Leafa urged, touching Reina cautiously on the shoulder. "He said he didn't mean it. If we start fighting now, we're not going to get anywhere!"

"She's right," Kirito agreed, fixing his intense onyx eyes on Reina. "Besides, it's not likely we could've kept his secret for long. Unless we were planning on walking all the way to the World Tree, someone was bound to see his wings eventually."

"We could've made something up about the wings!" Reina argued, releasing Gale and crossing her arms across her chest. "But now we've got who knows how many other players who are going to try to clear the World Tree too! Unless we get there first, who knows what will happen to the other SAO players who are trapped in ALFheim?"

"_If_ there are other SAO players trapped here," Kirito added reasonably. Reina felt her face growing hot with impatience, "Of course they're here! He's here isn't he!?"

She gestured roughly at Gale who looked uncomfortable at being singled out. Kirito and Leafa exchanged dubious glances, but said nothing to contest her. Reina frowned, rubbing her temples with clenched fists.

"Gale," Leafa said suddenly, breaking the tense silence that had fallen over the newly formed party, and offered the blond-haired Alf a gentle smile. "Raziel, the Sylph next to Siggurd, said that he had heard the rumor from Salamander territory. Is there anyone else you might've told about the World Tree?"

"Well," Gale began, turning pink underneath Leafa's gaze. "When I first woke up in ALFheim, these big, red guys found me in the woods a couple leagues from here. One of them, the ugliest one, was called Eugene…I think? They asked me to give them my quest and the next thing I knew the words were just coming out of my mouth." He looked sheepishly at Reina, as if worried that he would be punished for this admission as well. Leafa frowned, concernedly, "Well, if the Salamanders are headed to the World Tree too, then Siggurd was right. We will have plenty of competition."

"Who are the Salamanders?" Kirito asked curiously, his expression making it obvious that he was imaging a group of large, humanoid lizard-people crawling haphazardly towards Arun.

"They're the most aggressive race that exists in ALFheim," Leafa explained. "Whether a certain type of person is drawn towards their character type, or each new player is inducted into a racewide role-play, I have no idea…But every Salamander I've ever met is powerhungry, violent, and tend to form PK'ing groups."

"That's definitely them," Gale agreed. "After I gave told them about the World Tree, they brought out their swords to get rid of me. I had to escape by flying, so they got a good look at my wings too."

"Fantastic," Reina grumbled, growing more sullen by the minute.

"But!" Leafa exclaimed suddenly as the door to the lift opened to reveal the rooftop of the tower. "Since Siggurd also knows now, this could work out to our advantage."

"How's that?" Kirito wondered, helping Yui adjust herself comfortably in his coat pocket.

"Well, the Salamanders really don't get along with anybody. But they fight with the Sylphs most of all for land and resources since our borders are so close. If we can slip by while Sylph parties and the Salamanders collide, we may be able to get through the World Tree first."

"Or we could get caught smack in the middle of a practical war," Reina offered gloomily.

"You don't have to be so negative," Kirito said rounding on her rather suddenly. "We've got as good a chance as anyone else to beat this game. My stats and Gale's are both as high as they were in SAO. Leafa's a great fighter too. Unless you're doubting your own abilities, there's no need to be so discouraging." His tone wasn't condescending, but it was obvious that he was not impressed with Reina's attitude. Reina stared at the Spriggan boy, at a complete loss for words. Kirito was four years younger than her and yet he seemed to be the most matured out of the entire group. It made her furious. Instead of responding to his words, she crossed her arms over her chest and strode haughtily towards the side of the tower, preparing herself for flight. After a moment of awkward uncertainty, the others followed, stopping in a horizontal line at the very edge.

"Wow!" Gale exclaimed, his golden eyes shining brilliantly. "This is an amazing view." The sky above them was a bright, piercing blue, contrasted only by puffy, white clouds wafting lazily through the air. The green land stretched out endlessly before them in all directions, broken only by the occasional jagged, purple outline of a distant mountain range.

"I know right," Leafa agreed, standing beside him. "Whenever I see that sky, everything else just seems so small." Gale watched her with awe-filled eyes as she stretched out a hand, reaching for the endless sky. After a moment, Gale put out a hand too, followed by Kirito. Reina glanced sideways at them, refusing to join, her ego feeling too bruised to be an active teammate.

"We'll have to be careful traveling now," Leafa murmured. "We're practically renegades after all."

"What's a renegade?" Kirito asked.

"It's a player who abandons their territory," she continued. "If you're branded as one, you become a lot more vulnerable to PK'ing and player discrimination."

"That sounds awesome!" Gale grinned enthusiastically. "Let's call ourselves the Renegades! We need a cool team name, right?"

"So we should purposefully label ourselves as something that will get us targeted?" Reina contended, finding her voice one again

"Sure," Gale turned to face her, his fist clenched determinedly. "We shouldn't forget what we are, the rest of ALFheim sure won't. If we wear it like armor, it can never be used to hurt us."

Reina blinked; staggered by his words. In a very unorthodox way, they made sense.

"We might as well be called The Underdogs," Leafa giggled. Gale smiled at her, "I could work with that too!"

"Alright," Kirito said, stepping forward. "So we're the Renegades then. Are we ready to start, team?" He gazed expectantly at each of them in turn, his dark, grey wings flexed for flight.

"I'm so in!" Gale exclaimed, his wings bursting out due to his excitement. Leafa laughed gleefully and manifested her glistening, emerald wings as well. All three of them stepped to the edge of the Tower and kicked off, shooting into the bright, blue sky. Gale made a large, swooping circle; whooping with joy before stopping to float just beyond the Tower rooftop, "Ready, Reina?"

He offered her a gloved hand, a brilliant smile plastered across his cheerful face. Reina nodded slowly, her wings taking her upward until she was level with the Alf. He patted her exuberantly on the shoulder, "We can do this, you'll see." Reina said nothing, but watched him as he shot off to catch up with Kirito and Leafa. She knew she was here to find her sister and uncover the mysteries of the SAO players; but she thought that perhaps, being here with them, would finally help her find herself as well.

* * *

**Until next time!**

**Fuzz**


End file.
